Essays in applied microeconomics: Public policies and their impacts on health

Han, Hyoyoung

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129480 Copy

Description

Title

Essays in applied microeconomics: Public policies and their impacts on health

Author(s)

Han, Hyoyoung

Issue Date

2024-12-13

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Miller, Nolan H.

Doctoral Committee Chair(s)

Miller, Nolan H.

Committee Member(s)

• Thornton, Rebecca Lynn
• Powers, Elizabeth T.
• Marx, Benjamin Michael

Department of Study

Economics

Discipline

Economics

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Degree Level

Dissertation

Keyword(s)

• Air Pollution
• Reproductive Health
• In Vitro Fertilization
• Health
• Cervical Cancer Screening
• Public Health Care
• Gynecologists
• Elderly
• Driving
• Driver's License

Abstract

The first essay investigates the impact of fine particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) on fetal health during prenatal development and its implications for infant health and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Using an instrumental variable approach exploiting the regulatory changes introduced by the Clean Air Act (CAA) in 2004 for PM 2.5 control, I find that a reduction of 1 microgram per cubic meter (μg/m³) in annual PM2.5 does not affect the birth rate. However, it corresponds to an increase in fetal mortality of 4.69 deaths per 100,000 population of women in their reproductive age. The CAA lowered PM2.5 concentration by an average of 1.93 μg/m³ in counties with higher baseline levels. Therefore, a back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests this improvement in air quality corresponds to a 10.98% increase in stillbirths despite improved air quality. I find positive but small effects of the CAA on the infant's health. My findings suggest that reduced PM2.5 exposure resulting from CAA regulations improved overall fetal health and prolonged the survival of unhealthy fetuses but was not large enough to result in an increase in live births. Furthermore, IVF success rates, enabling the observation of impacts on earlier stages of pregnancy, including pregnancy and live birth rates, remained unaffected per the IVF cycle. The second essay examines the impact of the expansion of free cervical cancer screening provided in South Korea in 2011 to women in their 30s on gynecological healthcare utilization using a difference-in-difference model. The policy expanded to every even-aged woman in their 30s, which was originally provided only to even-aged women who are primary subscribers of employer-based national health insurance. The findings indicate an increase in cervical cancer screening by 4.4 percentage points among the treatment group, a 100% rise compared to the baseline treatment group mean. Additionally, the probability of being detected with women's cancer decreased by 2.47 percentage points, an 82.89 percent fall relative to the baseline treatment group mean. However, there was no significant effect on the probability and total number of visits for general healthcare or women's health services. The overall effect was primarily driven by married women. An increase for both lower and higher-income households suggests that information access may have had a larger role than the role of cost reduction. The third essay analyzes whether reduced restrictions on driver’s license renewal for the older population in the U.S., implemented in the interest of road safety, affected the mobility and health of older adults. Using a difference-in-differences model with intertemporal treatment, I compare states and age groups that implemented less restrictive driver’s license renewal laws (DLRLs) for older citizens to those that made no changes. I find that making the driver's license renewal process easier does not significantly affect self-reported driving ability or car ownership, potentially due to self-regulation among older adults. Additionally, there are no significant effects on driving-related health or activity outcomes, including self-reported health, memory, eyesight, hearing, attendance at religious services more than once a year, more than once a month, more than once a week, or better sleep. While there were significant increases in self-reported memory, religious attendance, and better sleep, sensitivity analyses relaxing the parallel trends assumption show that these effects are likely biased or due to violations in parallel trend assumptions and not impacts of the changes in less restrictive DLRLs.

Graduation Semester

2025-05

Type of Resource

Thesis

Handle URL

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129480

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2025 Hyoyoung Han

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